Energy Storage

1. Design and Synthesis of Energy Materials

We develop tailored electrochemical materials with controlled composition, porosity, and architecture to push the limits of energy density, power capability, and durability.

Porous Carbons

Hierarchically porous and heteroatom-engineered carbons, including graphene and carbon aerogels, designed to accelerate ion transport and enhance intrinsic capacitance for supercapacitors.

Representative publications: 3D Printed Structure Boosts the Kinetics and Intrinsic Capacitance of Pseudocapacitive Graphene Aerogels, Adv. Mater., 1906652 (2020); Pore and Heteroatom Engineered Carbon Foams for Supercapacitors, Adv. Energy Mater., 9, 1803665 (2019); Multi-scale Pore Network Boosts Capacitance of Carbon Electrodes for Ultrafast Charging, Nano Lett., 17, 3097-3104 (2017); Solid-State Supercapacitor Based on Activated Carbon Cloths Exhibits Excellent Rate Capability, Adv. Mater., 26, 2676-2682 (2014)

Metal Oxide Materials

Rational design of transition-metal oxides (Mn, V, Fe, Ti, Mo) with engineered valence states, mesoporosity, and nanostructures to balance high mass loading with rapid redox kinetics.

Representative publications: Engineering of Mesoscale Pores in Balancing Mass Loading and Rate Capability of Hematite Films for Electro-chemical Capacitors, Adv. Energy Mater., 8, 1801784 (2018); Ostwald Ripening Improves Rate Capability of High Mass Loading Manganese Oxide for Supercapacitors, ACS Energy Lett., 2, 1752-1759 (2017); Flexible Transparent Molybdenum Trioxide Nanopaper for Energy Storage, Adv. Mater., 28, 6353-6358 (2016); An electrochemical capacitor with applicable energy density of 7.4 Wh/kg at average power density of 3000 W/kg, Nano Lett., 15, 3189-3194 (2015); A New Benchmark Capacitance for Supercapacitor Anode by Mixed-Valence Sulfur-Doped V6O13-x, Adv. Mater. 26 (33), 5869-5875 (2014); H-TiO2@MnO2//H-TiO2@C Core–Shell Nanowires for High Performance and Flexible Asymmetric Supercapacitors, Adv. Mater. 25, 267-272 (2013); Hydrogenated TiO2 nanotube arrays for supercapacitors, Nano Lett., 12, 1690-1696 (2012); LiCl/PVA Gel Electrolyte Stabilizes Vanadium Oxide Nanowire Electrodes for Pseudocapacitors, ACS Nano 6, 10296–10302 (2012)

2. Solid/Liquid Electrochemical Interfaces

Mechanistic studies of interfaced-controlled Mn²⁺/MnO₂ conversion chemistry, redox mediation, and interfacial proton/water activity to improve voltage, energy efficiency, and cycling stability.

Representative publications: Advancing Mn²⁺/MnO₂ Conversion Chemistry through Redox Mediation: Mechanistic Insights and Outlook, ACS Energy Letters, 10, 3275-3286 (2025) [Front Cover]; Interface-Controlled Redox Chemistry in Aqueous Mn²⁺/MnO₂ Batteries, Advanced Materials, 2419505 (2025); Regulated Interfacial Proton and Water Activity Enhances Mn²⁺/MnO₂ Platform Voltage and Energy Efficiency, ACS Energy Letters, 8, 4658−4665 (2023) [Supplementary Cover]

3. Architecting the Third Dimension of Energy Storage

3D-Printed Carbon/Graphene Aerogel Electrodes

Direct ink writing of graded, low-tortuosity electrodes enables ultrahigh active-material loading for batteries and supercapacitors without compromising rate performance.

Representative publications: Aerogels, Additive Manufacturing, and Energy Storage, Joule, 7, 1-18 (2023); 3D-printed Graded Electrode with Ultrahigh MnO2 Loading for Non-aqueous Electrochemical Energy Storage, Adv. Energy Mater., 13, 2300408 (2023); Low Tortuosity 3D-Printed Structures Enhance Reaction Kinetics in Electrochemical Energy Storage and Electrocatalysis, Small Structures, 3, 2200159 (2022) [Front Cover]; Efficient 3D Printed Pseudocapacitive Electrodes with Ultrahigh MnO2 Loading, Joule, 3, 459-470 (2019); Direct Ink Writing of Organic and Carbon Aerogels, Mater. Horiz., 5, 1166-1175 (2018); Supercapacitors Based on 3D Hierarchical Graphene Aerogels with Periodic Macropores, Nano Lett., 16, 3448-3456 (2016) [Front Cover]

3D-Printed Interpenetrated Battery Devices

By shortening ion diffusion paths and homogenizing electric fields and concentration gradients, interwoven electrode architectures enable enhanced rate capability and volumetric performance.

Representative publications: Interpenetrated Structures for Enhancing Ion Diffusion Kinetics in Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices, Nano-Micro Letters, 16, 255 (2024) [Back Cover]

4. Low-Temperature Energy Storage

We design materials and architectures that operate reliably beyond conventional performance windows. For example, 3D-printed porous electrodes and heteroatom-doped carbons that retain capacitance and fast kinetics at sub-zero temperatures.

Representative publications: Nitrogen Doping-Enabled Low-Temperature Capacitance Retention in Carbon Materials, Chemical Communications (2026) DOI: 10.1039/D5CC05695K; Innovative Electrode Design for Low-Temperature Electrochemical Energy Storage: A Mini Review, Energy & Fuels, 39, 13, 6078–6096 (2025) [Front Cover]; Printing Porous Carbon Aerogels for Low-Temperature Supercapacitors, Nano Lett., 21, 9, 3731–3737 (2021) [Supplementary Cover]